Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Onto another day of organizing the Arizona Major League Baseball Boycott. Although this focuses on baseball and the Arizona Diamondbacks, I want to give major kudos to the Phoenix Suns, Arizona's NBA team, who is changing their jerseys tomorrow (Cinco De Mayo) due to this law.

Now I do not follow professional basketball the way I do baseball. I will be the first person to admit that I am honestly not sure what the demographics of a typical NBA team. I do not think they have very many Latino players though (if I am wrong here, please correct me in the comments). However the fact that the Suns are willing to do something before the Diamondbacks are, and that speaks volumes.

Come on Diamondbacks, it's time to step up to the plate. Basketball's already beat you to it.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

So for the last week I've found a new cause to work on-- getting Major League Baseball to move the 2011 All-Star game out of Arizona due to the state's new law that legalizes racial profiling.

Like when I got involved in the fight for marriage equality in New Jersey, I am often asked why I am involved in a law that does not affect me personally. This is true. I'm a white Mayflower descendant and both sides of my family have been here for generations. I would probably not be profiled in Arizona. I'm fighting this law on behalf of everyone in America, legally or illegally, citizen, alien, or tourist, who may be profiled by the police.

Racial profiling is wrong. How is Joe Police Officer going to distinguish between someone who crossed the border yesterday and a third generation American who's grandparents came here from Mexico as children. How do you tell if someone is illegal by looking like them? It's not like they're wearing a t-shirt that says "I'm illegal arrest me."

The reason why we are trying to get Major League Baseball involved is because of the high concentration of Latino players, fans, staff, umpires, coaches, etc. It truly has become a worldwide game. It is also a very lucrative business for any state that has a team (or more). By moving the 2011 All-Star game out of Arizona, it costs the city of Phoenix lost revenue not only from the game itself but from hotels, restaurants, and other touirst attractions.

I will agree with most that something needs to be done about immigration. However, this is a federal issue and not a state issue. And the best way to approach this problem would be penalizing the employers that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Voting is like driving. Press R to go backwards and D to go forward. That about sums up my fair and unbalanced views on how to move this country and New Jersey forward. I welcome your ideas and comments on how to move my own blog forward from here.